Tragedy Strikes Again

We knew what had happened when the wailing started Sunday afternoon.
Our neighbor, landlord and father of 5, Nelson, had been sick often
since we arrived. He had spent the previous two nights at the clinic,
so we knew he was seriously ill, but we didn't think he would die.
Still, when the wailing started, we knew immediately that his body had
just been brought home. Neighbors scrambled to take all the couches
outside so his body could be displayed on a grass mat inside. Within
20 minutes there were at least 50 people in the yard crying. The men
washed the body and wrapped it in a sheet, then the women took over
the living room, wailing loudly, repeating lamentations, convulsing
and sobbing. The widow, Marcelina and other close family were lead
around, propped up in their state of physical mourning. People kept
vigil over the house all night, the men outside around fires, the
women inside singing hymns constantly until 4am. Community solidarity
in death is astounding and powerful here. The next day the crowds
gathered around 11 and grew until the funeral ceremony around 2pm. We
estimated 800 people at the house, flooding the neighbors yards and
paths. Practically the whole school was there, including Nelson's
colleagues from night school where he was studying 8th grade this
year. A collection of money was taken, totaling around $200, each line
item carefully recorded in a notebook and read to the crowd. Nelson's
body, now in a casket, was laid in the yard as speeches and prayers
were said. Then we all walked to the cemetery for the burial, marked
by a simple wooden sign painted by the art teacher. Marcelina's future
is shaky now, having lost her breadwinner. Widows don't often inherit
their husband's possessions, so we will see after a week, when the
family will hold a ceremony to decide how things will be distributed.
We are very sad to lose a close neighbor and to see his family suffer
so much. Although never said directly, it is clear to all that this
was a death from AIDS, among millions each year worldwide.